Leading up to Tuesday's address to the nation, Obama is making a determined last-ditch effort for authorization for use of force against Bashar Assad's regime.

3. WHO PLANS TO DEPART NAACP

President and CEO Ben Jealous says he will step down from the civil rights group at the end of the year to pursue teaching and spend more time with family.

4. SOME IN GOP SEE SURVIVAL IN IMMIGRATION REFORM

A growing band of Republicans seeks to strike a balance between conservatives who want border security and advocates who want a path to citizenship.

5. TAKING A PASS ON STANDARDIZED TESTS

Some parents are opting their kids out of the exams, citing fears about stress, corporate influence, and restrained curricula.

6. NON-NYC 9-11 RESPONDERS SEEK COMPENSATION

A small number of those who fought fires and cleaned up rubble at the Pentagon and the Flight 93 crash site want the same health benefits as those who worked in the WTC's toxic ruins.

In an image made from video provided by KATV, police surround a home in Pine Bluff, Ark., Saturday, Sept. 7, 2013 during a standoff that left an elderly man dead. Lt. David Price told KATV that when officers arrived at the home they learned that an aggravated assault had occurred against two people. Arkansas SWAT officers shot and killed the suspect, Monroe Isadore, who authorities say was 107-year-old old, when he pointed a weapon at them. AP Photo/courtesy of KATV

7. 107-YEAR-OLD MAN DIES AFTER ALLEGEDLY FIRING ON POLICE

A SWAT team fatally shot Monroe Isadore, 107, in his home in Pine Bluff, Ark., after a standoff, officials say.